After the Trump administration released its national policy framework for artificial intelligence last week, SAG-AFTRA is on board.
The union recently expressed its support for the legislative initiative, stressing that SAG members “deserve protection” against nonconsensual AI replications, while maintaining First Amendment rights.
“SAG-AFTRA welcomes the administration’s National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence and its recognition that America’s leadership in AI must go hand in hand with strong protections for human creativity,” a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said in a statement. “Our members’ performances, voices and likenesses are not raw material to be used without consent; they are the product of human talent and labor, and they deserve protection.”
They added, “We agree that disputes over the unauthorized training of AI models on copyrighted works should be adjudicated by the courts without the need for new legislation.”
SAG leadership believes that the framework will benefit the creative community and result in responsible use of AI. The union agreed that “workers must share in the benefits of AI,” adding that “free-market licensing must continue to thrive, combined with SAG-AFTRA’s ability to collectively bargain for appropriate licensing terms and fair revenue shares.”
They added, “Finally, we strongly support the framework’s call for Congress to pass federal legislation against digital replica abuse while maintaining strong First Amendment safeguards. Individuals need control in a world awash with digital clones, but that control cannot harm the freedom of expression our industry relies upon to entertain and inform the world. Congress should move swiftly to enact the bipartisan NO FAKES Act.”
After Trump signed an executive order in December preventing states from implementing their own AI protections, his administration introduced the AI policy framework last Friday.
The initiative calls for Congress to enact legislation that includes parental controls, intellectual property rights protection, First Amendment protections, expanding AI workforce development, allowing data centers to generate their own power, and removing legal barriers that limit AI innovation.
English (US) ·